WARNING: This article contains the name and image of an Indigenous person who has died.
The family of a man who died soon after being discharged from a NSW regional hospital hope an inquest will make the healthcare system safer for Indigenous people.
Ricky Hampson Jr, a father-of-eight known as Dougie, died on August 16, 2021, less than 24 hours after he left Dubbo Base Hospital in the state's central west.
The 36-year-old Kamilaroi Dunghutti man went to the emergency department in severe pain on August 14, after feeling a tearing and popping sensation in his abdomen.
He was sedated and slept on and off for 18 hours, before being discharged with painkillers and a direction to drink water.
Mr Hampson Jr died soon after, suffering perforated duodenal ulcers.
A coronial inquest opening on Monday is set to examine the circumstances surrounding his death.
The Hampson family along with bias, as he admitted to using cannabis and his records showed his next-of-kin as a jail he'd left the year before.
His father, Rick Hampson Sr, said a simple scan could have saved his son's life.
"How do we accept that?" he told AAP.
"It's destroyed us as a family.
"It's been two-and-a-half years and it still feels like yesterday."
Mr Hampson Sr hopes the coroner will make recommendations to improve healthcare for Indigenous people, including greater use of Aboriginal liaison officers in hospitals and improved cultural training.
"It's been a long, hard road," he said.
The inquest heard Mr Hampson Jr described his pain as "10 out of 10" when he presented to the emergency department after feeling a popping sensation in his stomach.
His heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate were high during his hospital stay, though his vital signs settled before he was discharged.
But he was in "obvious discomfort" and clutched his stomach when he was sent home with over-the-counter painkillers.
Mr Hampson Jr's family, who have long advocated for an inquest, conducted a smoking ceremony at Dubbo courthouse and wore matching shirts emblazoned with Dougie's face.
Deputy State Coroner Erin Kennedy acknowledged the family was having to grieve in a difficult setting.
"This is an incredibly difficult task you're being asked to go through," Ms Kennedy said.
"Grieving is something that most people get to do in their own way, in their own time, privately.
"This is very public, and very, very difficult.
She told them the inquest would be both emotional and go into technical medical details.
"(Dougie is) never forgotten in this process, we're all here for him."
Stuart Kettle, the barrister for Western NSW Local Health District, read out a statement apologising to the Hampson family and acknowledging the hospital's shortcomings.
The inquest is due to run for a fortnight.
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